Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

* talk about things we are certain of.

* talk about the promises that God makes to us.

* pray thanking God for the ones we are most thankful for.

We had a lovely night of dinner, prayer and chatting.

10 year old had had a major disappointment today, so it was great to have a time of thankfulness and prayer.

7 year old read the passage…. very exciting, as last year she couldn’t read at this level.

Day 2 Luke 1:5-7 Item: writing paper.

Day 2:Luke 1:5-7

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

* write a letter, or draw a picture to the oldest member of our family.

* talk about the things you remember about great grandpa.

* walk and put them in the post.

Tonight we did day 2. Lots of us had tearful recollections of Great Grandpa. He went to be with Jesus earlier this year. 7 year old said at a couple of points…. “How about we do some letters and drawings now? All these ‘rememberalls’ are making me teary” We all felt a bit like that. He was a great man of God. Gave his life to serving Jesus wherever he was. My finest memory was his answer in an interview to the question… “At 92 what would you say was the best advice you could give to a young Christian who wanted to finish well in their faith?” His answer was slow and thoughtful… “Just keep loving Jesus!” Sounds almost too simple to follow.

We then wrote letters and drew pictures for my Grandma. This was a little teary too, as just recently she moved from a self contained unit in a retirement home to a respite care facility attached to the hospital. The family are pretty sure she won’t go back to the unit. At 92 she has had a very full life, and now she needs full time care. Christmas this year will be spent with her in Gilgandra, which will be a great joy. I haven’t done that for about 20 years. Our whole family are very excited about it.

Walking to the post will happen tomorrow after school.

Day 3 Luke 1:8- 17 Item: Jesus DVD

Day 3:Luke 1:8-17

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

* Tell each of the girls how they are a joy and delight to us.

* Talk about what being great in the eyes of the Lord means

* Who do they know who is a joy and delight. Why?

* Watch some of the DVD.

Done…

I was stuck by the beatitudes. Haven’t looked at them in a while.

The girls really like this DVD although it seems at first rather dry. Our girls are great lovers of movies and narrative, so this activity always goes down well. We will continue watching the DVD in the coming weeks, as it is a great reminder of what Jesus came to do.

Day:4 Luke 1:18-25. Item: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Day 4: Luke 1:18-25

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

* Play charades with lolly pops in our mouths.

Always hilarious!

What is the connection between Snow white and the passage? Tenuous! The girls came up with a number of ideas like…. the dwarves are small and so are babies….yes… the dwarves lived in seclusion …. yes. My idea was once snow white was poisoned she couldn’t talk. I think I like their ideas better. The big reason was that I tried to include on targeted gift for each child. This one was for 7 year old. Beautiful illustrations and a more detailed story and difficult writing style than a picture book.

Day 5 Luke 1:26-28 Item: Sweets Cookbook

Day 5: Luke 1:26-28

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

* Look through the cook books and plan a highly flavoured treat to cook and a person/group that they want to give them to.

We started looking through the cook books and planning this. Guests from school friends and families, to teachers, to family friends all featured in the line-ups of sweet recipients. I will tell you about them as they happen.

Recipes chosen

-7 year old chose from ‘Cupcakes Cheesecakes Cookies Women’s Weekly’, the mars bar cupcakes… she has made these before and they are quick. She said I choose one that I know is quick and have made before because I know it will be more likely that we do it. Yes…. unfortunately that is correct.

-10 year old choose from ‘the family circle beginners cookbook’, the lemon cheesecake.

-12 year old, inspired by ‘Glorious things to do’ has done some extra research and is going to prepare a ‘knickerbocker glory’.

Day 6: Luke 1: 29-33 Item: King and Queens of England book.

Day 6:Luke 1:29-33

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

* Talk about the passage

* What are some of the names for Jesus?

The book was chosen because 11 year old has a particular love of history, and this passage talks about Kings and Queens.

Had an unexpected dinner guest, who joined in as we read the passage and talked through the names for Jesus.

We talked about the never ending kingdom, in comparison with the ending reigns that will be found in the book.

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

* Make a baby bed from things found around the house. Place it somewhere waiting for the baby to arrive.

Set up the bed…. I have to keep checking it because 4 year old keeps putting ‘babies’ in it. Very cute.

Read the book aloud. This is one of my favourite Christmas books. The older girls drew while we read (4 year old got fairly restless) Mummy ended the book in tears…. No big deal it happens most years.

Day 8: Luke 1:38-45 Item: Colin Buchanan's King of Christmas DVD

Day 8: Luke 1: 38-45

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

* Watch DVD together.

Done.

Day 9: Luke 1: 46-56. Item: Lettering book.

Day 9:Luke 1:46-56

And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

* Go around the table and everyone says two things that God has done for them, or through them, or with them this last year.

*Pray

* Use the lettering book to make posters of our memory verse for Christmas.

We talked about some of the joys we had experienced this year, but also some of the ways that God has worked in us or through us that have just been jolly painful. We talked about how when God talks about something being a blessing He doesn’t always mean in will be the moment you do it!

Tim prayed for the year past (almost) and the year ahead.

We started drawing up our memory verse.

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

*Talk about what the girls want to do when they grow up

* Play Citadels

Citadels has different characters each round. You have to choose who you want to be. 4 year old and 7 year old teamed up with Tim and I until bed time.

Of course 10 year old won the game of Citadels. She seems to have a somewhat spooky ability with games.

When the girls grow up they would like to be a police officer, history teacher, art teacher and something that involves a mixture of maths, science and art? Can you pick which is which?

Day 11: Luke 1:67-80 Item: Hiss (game)

Day 11:Luke 1:67-80

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

* Talk through the passage

* Play Hiss

We talked about how we love it that when people in the bible are extremely joyful (and sorrowful) they burst into song.

Hiss is a game we already owned. Great for toddlers. Connection? Satan was a snake… he is our enemy…. Zechariah sings of God rescuing us from our enemies.

We played Hiss. I won…. I really needed to tell you that. I can win a pre-school game.

Day 12: Luke 2:1-3. Item: Atlas

Day 12: Luke 1:67-80

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

* Look up the Atlas

*Talk about where in the world we would like to go.

The Atlas was already owned. It was included especially for Tim. There aren’t many more enjoyable things for him than looking at map. Maybe looking at maps with his girls.

The girls mostly wanted to go local and see friends and family. We let them know that that is what we will be doing over Christmas. Tim and I would like to visit America for an extended visit, And take the silk road train across asia. Unlikely to happen in the near future.

Day 13. Luke 2:4-5. Item: Project runway

Day 13:Luke 2:4-5

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

* Talk to the girls about what they hoped for in terms of marriage. What they would look for in a husband.

* Pray about this.

* Design wedding dresses using our Project Runway game.

Day 14. Luke 2: 6-7. Item: Book The Two Knights. A 5 minutes more story.

Day 14: Luke 2:6-7

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

* Put up the Christmas tree

See below

* Put a baby Jesus in the pre-prepared manger/bed.

We have the bed under our mantle … it has a stuffed dog in it. Maybe we are going for opposites. A great God.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

*Read

* Give girls an angel

We read…. and this year I actually gave them 2 each…. it being 2010. Kind of a jubilee type thing.

Day 16. Luke:2:10-14. Item: Walks

Day 16. Luke 2:10-14

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

* Walk and talk about ‘peace on earth to men on whom God’s favour rests.’

Day 17. Luke 1-2:15. Item: Nativity craft.

Day 17. Luke 1-2:15

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

* Make craft and chat while doing it.

Day 18. Luke 2: 16-20

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

* Discuss why the shepherds said God sent them rather than the angels sent them.

* Read the book, complete with sound effects.

Love this little book. Very fun to read with sound effects in a big group…. which we are.

Day 19. Luke 2:21. Item-Christmas cards.

Day 19. Luke 2:21

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

* Write some Christmas cards to friends.

This one was planned so they could write Christmas cards to school friends mostly…. but we are running late again, so school has finished and friends didn’t get cars. Oh well. Mental note for next year… put cards in advent calendar early!

Day 20. Luke2:22-24. Item- Lego Egypt Pyramid.

Day 20. Luke 2:22-24

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

*Talk sacrifices.

I love it when this happens…. 10 year old makes connections between Abraham going to sacrifice his son, and then God giving him the ram instead.

Day 21. Luke 2: 25-32

Day 21. Luke 2:25-32

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

* Light candles on a cake for Jesus birthday.

Day 22. Luke 2:33-35. Item- Game The Impressionist.

Day 22. Luke 2: 33-35

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

* Talk about what the falling aand rising of Israel is all about.

Day 23. Luke 2:36-38. Item DVD The happy elf.

Day 23.

Luke 2:36-38.

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

* Read Nic’s poem ‘The Jerusalem Widow.

* Pray for those people we know who would really love children, but aren’t able to have them.